Album 6: Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is my favourite composer, and is definitely one of the greatest in the history of Western music. He is not considered a great innovator of musical forms, but took many of the preexisting forms and perfect them, creating many masterpieces for both instrument and vocal, theatre, church and concert hall, orchestral as well as chamber music.

For this list, I am starting with his Piano Sonata no. 8 in A minor (K310) - one of my favourite pieces of music of all times, and beautifully performed by Dinu Lipatti on record.

I also chose one of his symphonies. His last 3 symphonies are all considered to be masterpieces, and I love the one before those (i.e. Symphony No. 38 in D major 'Prague' (K504)) as well. At the end of the day, I chose his Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K550) - less majestic than his Symphony No. 41 in C major 'Jupiter' (K551), but more much romantic.

His piano concertos contain some of his greatest and most personal works, and were written mostly for his own performance in concerts. His Piano Concerto No. 9 (K271) is one of his early masterpieces; and his Piano Concertos No. 20 to 25 are all among the greatest of his works. But for my list I chose his Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major (K595), which was composed very near the end of his life, but again feel very alive and bright and energetic.

Album 06: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 8 (Dinu Lipatti); Symphony No. 40 (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra + Karl Bohm); Piano Concerto No. 27 (Emil Gilels + Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra + Karl Bohm)